Trumps accomplishments

[soonernvolved]

www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/03/gop-senators-to-back-president-trumps-effort-to-quell-violence-in-nations-capitol-despite-cnns-false-reporting/

GOP Senators to Back President Trump’s Effort to Quell Violence in Nation’s Capitol Despite CNN’s False Reporting

Top Republicans in the Senate are behind President Donald Trump’s effort to quell the violence and looting in the nation’s capital, despite being asked by CNN about events that did not take place.

The left has claimed that Trump’s brief visit to the historic St. John’s church near the White House after it was torched by rioters was a photo op arranged after the U.S. Park Police cleared Lafayette Park by using tear gas and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters. The protests are part of nationwide reaction to the death of George Floyd, who died at the hands of Minneapolis Police on Memorial Day.




In the article on support for Trump, CNN repeated the false narrative even after numerous official accounts about what really happened at the park were widely circulated. CNN reported:

The stunning move prompted a visceral reaction among Democrats, who likened Trump’s actions to a dictator as they prepared legislation to condemn the use of force — including tear gas and rubber bullets — against Americans exercising their constitutional rights to protest.

In fact, a statement from park police said that despite 51 officers being injured over the weekend by protesters before the park was cleared ahead of the president’s visit, no tear gas was used to disperse the crowd. And no arrests were made.

CNN reported on the support from Senators:

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a member of the GOP leadership team, said the protesters had to be cleared out “for security purposes” since Trump was “walking over to the church” and they were asked to clear “but refused to do so.”

“So obviously, it was a necessary security measure,” Cornyn told CNN. Cornyn rejected the notion that they were acting peacefully since they can’t “ignore what law enforcement officers are telling them to do for the security of the president or anybody else.”

Asked if the President should have gone to the church for a photo-op that led to tear gas and other measures to be used on the protesters, Cornyn criticized the media and others who are “never going to find any good or any positive development in anything. So you can characterize it the way you want, but obviously the President is free to go where he wants and to hold up a Bible if he wants,” calling it a “civil message.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the most senior Republican in the Senate, also defended Trump and his right to got where he wishes, especially if he feels it expresses leadership:

We expect leadership from our President and particularly in times like this. And I think that when there was destruction to a church or any other historical thing that America would put great confidence in that should not be destroyed, I think a president ought to bring attention to that terrorist activity, and go there and do … what he did last night.



CNN repeated the false narrative about tear gas a second time in its article.

“On Monday evening, peaceful protesters just outside the White House gates were dispersed with tear gas, flash grenades and rubber bullets ahead of Trump’s remarks and trip to the church,” CNN reported.

Many of the Republican senators were responding to questions about something that did not happen, including Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who said “we need to get a grip on order” when asked about the tear-gassed protesters ahead of Trump’s trip to the church.

[soonernvolved]

www.nationalreview.com/2020/06/united-states-china-relations-some-tiananmen-protesters-support-president-trump/

Why Some Tiananmen Protesters Support Trump
By RONG XIAOQING
June 4, 2020 6:30 AM

‘Many American politicians are too close to Beijing. Finally, we got Trump, who is vehemently anti-the Communist Party.’

Last March, I attended a Chinese Trump supporters’ gathering at a karaoke bar in Flushing, N.Y., for a story I was writing. Two participants really grabbed my attention. Before pouring out their admiration for Trump, they revealed their involvement in the Tiananmen democracy movement in China in 1989.

One of them, Cai Guihua, was a leader of the Shanghai workers’ protests back then; the other, Chen Liqun, was a mobilizer of supporters for the movement in Hangzhou. Both paid a high price after the bloodshed on and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4 that year.

Cai was jailed for nearly two years, and Chen fled the authorities and wandered across China for 17 months before things calmed down. Both were involved in the founding of the dissident Democracy Party of China in 1998 and came to the U.S. not long after, amid a brutal crackdown.

Now they are cheering for Trump with the same passion they devoted to China’s democracy movement.

Conservatism has been rising among Chinese immigrants in recent years. The Chinese community in the U.S. is no longer locked into voting Democrat. Still, discovering a whole slew of Trump supporters among Tiananmen-era protesters surprised me.

Wasn’t it the current House speaker Nancy Pelosi who unfurled a banner on Tiananmen Square in 1991 to memorialize the victims? Wasn’t it former president Bill Clinton who negotiated with Beijing to get some of them out of prison and bring them to the U.S.? And all in all, isn’t President Trump undermining the democracy that Chinese dissidents fought for when they were young?

People can of course stray away from their early beliefs when they are older, and they may become more conservative. Immigration may accelerate the process. I was thinking, Could this be just another example of the initial dream getting lost on the way to pursuing it? But further talks with some Tiananmen protesters proved me wrong.

It’s hard to know how many of those involved in the Tiananmen protests who now live in the U.S. are Trump supporters. Cai and Chen acknowledge that they may not represent the majority. Some told me they support Trump but cannot vote for him because they haven’t become U.S. citizens.


Cai, 62, now an acupuncturist in New York, has been voting for Republican presidential candidates since he became a U.S. citizen in 2009. He said that his taxes were often higher under Democratic presidents, and he lost his job during the financial crisis in 2009 when Obama was in the White House. But most important, he blames the Democrats for allowing China’s Communist Party government to become so powerful.

“We’ve been fighting against China’s Communist Party. But the CCP grows ever stronger. We need to reexamine the China policies of the Democratic Party,” Cai said.

In his view, the Democrats rolled over and allowed unfettered globalization so a lot of American investment could pour into China, and this made the U.S. reliant on Chinese sourcing for many products. It all helped turn China into a superpower. President Clinton’s support for granting China permanent most-favored-nation trading status in 2000 was a big accelerant for this, said Cai, who was brought to the U.S. with some other dissidents as a Chinese concession in those trade negotiations.

“I benefited from the bill,” said Cai. “But I don’t judge things on my personal interests. My mission is to fight against the Communist Party.”

The deep anger and resentment directed at the CCP is generating Trump support among the Tiananmen protesters. Many support his trade war against China and his attempts to punish Beijing for concealing information about the coronavirus when it first emerged. They also defend his description of COVID-19 as a “Chinese virus,” saying the moniker is reasonable given the provocative claim by Chinese government spokesperson Zhao Lijian that the American military brought the virus to Wuhan.

“Many American politicians are too close to Beijing. Finally, we got Trump, who is vehemently anti-the Communist Party,” said Chen, 62, who voted for Trump in 2016. She had voting for Obama in 2012, soon after becoming an American citizen. “Trump represents my values better.” She said that she’ll vote for him again this year even though she is living on welfare payments as a disabled person and might typically expect to have more protection from a Democratic president.

Wang Juntao — labeled by Beijing as one of the “black hand” masterminds behind the Tiananmen student movement and sentenced to 13 years in prison — has also been gravitating toward Trump, though he is still not a U.S. citizen and therefore cannot vote. “I wouldn’t have voted for him in 2016, but I would now,” said Wang, who was released and came to the U.S. after pressure on Beijing by the Clinton administration in 1994.

Now 62 and armed with a master’s degree from Harvard and a Ph.D. from Columbia, he is still campaigning for democracy in China from his base in New York. He is concerned, though, that some dissidents are relying too much on Trump. “They need a hero to fight against the Communist Party. And they project their hope on Trump. But the American president’s job is not to fight against China,” he said.


He places more of his hope on Mike Pompeo, applauding the secretary of state for being “one of the very few American politicians who can differentiate between China and the Communist Party.” He sees Pompeo as someone who can be a catalyst for the democracy movement in China.

But there is another reason – in addition to opposition to the CCP — that puts even those who say they wouldn’t vote for Trump at ease about the support he gets from fellow Chinese in America.

Wang Dan, one of the main Tiananmen student leaders, was released from prison and exiled to the U.S. in 1998 before former President Clinton’s visit to China that year. Now 50, he said that, if he were a U.S. citizen, he would vote for Democratic candidates because he feels close to the party and supports its values. But he gives Trump a thumbs-up for his trade war against China and his move to pull funding from the World Health Organization for serving China’s interests more than the world’s.

He doesn’t like Trump’s description of COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” and finds the president’s compliments to China’s President, Xi Jinping, hard to stomach. He also can’t forgive Trump for saying in 2016 that the Tiananmen protests were a “riot” and for telling Playboy in 1990 that the Chinese government’s ability to put down the revolt showed “the power of strength.”

Nonetheless he is confident that Trump cannot harm American democracy. “He doesn’t follow the rules of democracy, especially the rules on freedom of speech,” said Wang, who holds a Ph.D. from Harvard. “But American democracy is protected by the fundamental political system of separation of powers. If you think a president is able to tear a piece off democracy, you lack . . . confidence in democracy.”

This firm faith in the invincibility of democracy — maybe even firmer than that of many native-born Americans at this moment — and their belief in the system are shared across the board among the Tiananmen protesters.

They don’t seem to agree on whether the Communist Party’s throttling of freedom in China will accelerate the country’s journey to democracy or postpone it. But many are still working on China’s democracy movement in exile — Wang Juntao leads the Democracy Party of China in New York, and Wang Dan runs Dialogue China, a think tank in Washington, D.C., that is drawing up a new “blueprint for China’s future.”

The two men, alongside many other Tiananmen leaders in the U.S., haven’t applied for citizenship here, though they’ve long been eligible. “I feel more attached to China than to the U.S.,” Wang Juntao told me. “My dream is to topple the Communist Party and go back to China as a Chinese citizen.”

More than three decades after Tiananmen, these gray-haired protesters are still who they were, with or without Trump.

[soonernvolved]

Media/Left peddling more lies to hurt the President:

www.nationalreview.com/corner/about-that-scary-hydroxychloroquine-study/?utm_source=recirc-desktop&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=river&utm_content=featured-content-trending&utm_term=first

About That Scary Hydroxychloroquine Study
By DAVID HARSANYI
June 3, 2020 4:14 PM

Remember that scary hydroxychloroquine study in The Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine that everyone in the media was writing about a few weeks ago? It turns out that the underlying data was likely fake:

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/covid-19-surgisphere-who-world-health-organization-hydroxychloroquine

A Guardian investigation can reveal the US-based company Surgisphere, whose handful of employees appear to include a science fiction writer and an adult-content model, has provided data for multiple studies on Covid-19 co-authored by its chief executive, but has so far failed to adequately explain its data or methodology.

A peer-reviewed Lancet study claimed that Surgisphere culled data from nearly 15,000 COVID-19 patients from 1,200 hospitals around the world. There is no evidence that it collected any data from anyone.

Partisans been rooting against hydroxychloroquine for months now. There’s really no other way to describe the manic reaction to a drug that has been widely, though anecdotally, said to have therapeutic value against the coronavirus. Politicians have blocked attempts to study the drug. The number of shoddy pieces of journalism surrounding hydroxychloroquine is just remarkable. Apparently, it is also dangerous.

A couple of weeks ago, Joe Biden compared taking hydroxychloroquine to drinking bleach, even though millions of Americans use the drug every day to survive. At the time, I linked to an NPR interview in which doctors at Columbia University and other research institutions complained that they couldn’t find people to conduct simple clinical trials on hydroxychloroquine’s effectiveness, even though the drug was, as one doctor put it, “very very safe.”

Two verys.


Now we know that thousands of hospitals around the world relied on Surgisphere data to make determinations about treatment and studies. The WHO, the organization I am assured we must continue funding, halted clinical trials — followed by a number of countries — because of the alleged dangers borne from the imaginary data put together by an adult model.

WHO has now reversed course and resumed studies. If we learn that hydroxychloroquine is helpful mitigating the harm coronavirus — and that’s still a big if; a new study today shows that it is not effective as a prophylactic — we can probably thank knee-jerk anti-Trumpism for delays. Scientists have trouble conducting studies, medical journals will take shortcuts in a rush to prove the president wrong (what else could explain it?), and the media will publish any scary story that reaffirms their preexisting prejudices. If you’re interested in further corroding public trust in experts, this is a perfect way to do it. It’s a scandal.

[soonernvolved]

President Trump and Boris Johnson are holding China accountable for their crackdown on Hong Kong:

Last week:



Yesterday, both President Trump and UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced further actions related to Hong Kong. Johnson announced that the UK would offer millions of visas to the people of Hong Kong:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/03/boris-johnson-says-3m-people-hong-kong-will-get-path-british/

Boris Johnson is ready to open the door to nearly three million Hong Kong citizens if China imposes a new security law that critics say would rob the territory of its autonomy.

The Prime Minister, writing in The Times, has offered to make what he says would be one of the “biggest changes” in the history of the British visa system to allow 2.85 million Hong Kong citizens the chance of fully-fledged citizenship.

The move, which represents a dramatic escalation in the stand-off between the UK and China, would put Hongkongers “on the route to citizenship”, said the Conservative Party leader.

This is a brilliant move by Johnson. The people of Hong Kong are well educated, very hard working and kind people. Any country would be blessed having them as citizens.

President Trump announced yesterday that the US was blocking China carriers from flights to the US:
theweek.com/5things/917985/trump-administration-block-passenger-flights-from-china

The Trump administration is planning to block Chinese passenger carriers from flying into the United States, the Department of Transportation announced Wednesday, saying China is still “unable” to say when it will “allow U.S. carriers to reinstate scheduled passenger flights.” China has essentially stopped U.S. airlines from resuming service to the country. In March, China’s regulators limited foreign carriers to one flight per week. The Transportation Department says China “effectively precludes U.S. carriers from reinstating scheduled passenger flights to China,” and says it will block flights “to restore a competitive balance.”

The US and the UK are standing for the people of Hong Kong.

[soonernvolved]

www.nationalreview.com/news/u-s-to-designate-additional-chinese-media-outlets-as-foreign-embassies/

U.S. to Designate Additional Chinese Media Outlets as Foreign Embassies
By ZACHARY EVANS
June 4, 2020 9:46 AM

The U.S. will designate four Chinese state media outlets as foreign embassies in addition to five such outlets that have already been placed under restrictions, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The State Department could announce the designation as early as Thursday. China Central Television (CCTV) and China News Service are expected to be among the outlets listed by the department. The designation would apply certain restrictions to those outlets’ operations on U.S. soil, mandating they register employees and property with the State Department.




TOP ARTICLES
1/5
READ MORE
Conservatives Should Pursue Class
Peace, Not War with the Coastal Meritocracy


The Trump administration in February placed the same restrictions on five other Chinese state media organizations including the Xinhua News Agency and the China Global Television Network. In March, the administration ordered those five outlets to reduce personnel stationed in the U.S. by 40 percent, after China expelled three Wall Street Journal reporters. China subsequently moved to revoke press credentials for additional reporters from the Journal, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.

On May 18, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned China against interfering with the work of American journalists in then-semi-autonomous Hong Kong.

“It has recently come to my attention that the Chinese government has threatened to interfere with the work of American journalists in Hong Kong. These journalists are members of a free press, not propaganda cadres, and their valuable reporting informs Chinese citizens and the world,” Pompeo said in a statement at the time.

However, China has since moved to apply new laws to the territory that Hong Kong pro-democracy legislators have warned will end the territory’s autonomy and relative freedom. Pompeo told Congress last week that the city of Hong Kong is effectively no longer autonomous, and President Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. would revoke Hong Kong’s special trading status.

[soonernvolved]

dailycaller.com/2020/06/04/president-donald-trump-executive-order-infrastructure-suspending-environmental-regulations/

Trump To Sign Executive Order That Attempts To Speed Up Infrastructure Projects By Suspending Environmental Regulations

President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Thursday aimed at expediting various infrastructure projects as a means of boosting post-coronavirus economic recovery.

White House officials told the Daily Caller that the order directs federal agencies to ignore certain environmental regulations that slow construction. Trump signed an executive order in May that declared an “economic emergency” allowing for the suspension of various regulations inhibiting job growth. The order tasked agencies with both temporarily suspending regulations and identifying which rules can be permanently rescinded.


WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 01: U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House after posing for photographs in front of St. John's Episcopal Church June 01, 2020 in Washington, DC. Trump held up a bible while standing in front of the church, which was partially burned during violent protests the night before. Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump encouraged U.S. governors to be more aggressive against violent protesters following several nights of nationwide violence in response to the death of George Floyd while in the custody of the Minneapolis police. “You have to dominate or you'll look like a bunch of jerks, you have to arrest and try people," he was reported saying during a call from the basement White House Situation Room. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 01: U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House after posing for photographs in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church June 01, 2020 in Washington, DC. Trump held up a bible while standing in front of the church, which was partially burned during violent protests the night before. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The orders mark “the first time in living memory that a president has responded to a national crisis by deregulating instead of grabbing more power,” White House officials told the Daily Caller. (RELATED: Highway Jobbery — 3 Ways To Reverse Massive Coronavirus Unemployment | WALL STREET MEETS WASHINGTON EP. 8)

“Typically when our country has faced a crisis, Washington responds by grabbing more power,” said Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought. “President Trump understands that to get the economy moving, the power needs to be given back to the people and entrepreneurs.”

The Washington Post first reported on the order Thursday morning and noted the order expands on action Trump took in January to limit the scope of the National Environmental Protection Act.

Trump has also frequently called for a trillion-dollar infrastructure push to address rising unemployment and shrinking gross domestic product.


“With interest rates for the United States being at ZERO, this is the time to do our decades long awaited Infrastructure Bill,” he tweeted in May. “It should be VERY BIG & BOLD, Two Trillion Dollars, and be focused solely on jobs and rebuilding the once great infrastructure of our Country!”

[soonernvolved]

www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/06/03/trump-dem-officials-tough-as-hell-on-covid-lockdowns-very-weak-on-riots/

Trump: Dem Officials ‘Tough As Hell’ on COVID Lockdowns, ‘Very Weak’ on Riots



During an interview with Newsmax TV’s “Spicer and Co.” on Wednesday, President Trump stated that social distancing is needed, it’s too soon to go back to normal, and criticized Democratic elected officials for being “tough as hell on keeping people locked up in their houses” and “very weak” on handling riots and looting.

Host and former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer asked, “I haven’t heard a lot about social distancing and gathering since all of these large protests and riots. [Does] that mean that social distancing is over?”


Trump responded, “No. It’s not over.”

He added, “We want to be back to normal, but it’s a little bit soon, but I watch these protesters, and they’re the ones that are all claiming social distancing, everything else, it’s really interesting. They do that, and then they’re jumping on top of each other by the thousands when they’re screaming and ranting and raving, which is not a good thing. I mean, we’re going to have to see how that works out.”

Trump also stated that it’s “very interesting with these liberal mayors, liberal Democrats — and governors, how they’re tough as hell on keeping people locked up in their houses. But when it comes to ending the crime and those stores being broken into, and the looting…they’re very weak on crime.”

He also said that the initial shutdowns were needed. Because without them, far more people would have died.

[soonernvolved]

www.nationalreview.com/2020/06/the-institutional-racism-canard/

The ‘Institutional Racism’ Canard
By ANDREW C. MCCARTHY
June 3, 2020 2:57 PM

It bears no resemblance to reality — not in police forces, and not in America.
About twice as many white people as black people are killed by police. In fact, in about 75 percent of police shootings, the decedent is not black. Of course, that is not what you would grasp from consuming media.

Take the website statista.com, specifically its breathless focus on “Hate crime in the United States” — counterfactually insinuating that any shooting involving a black victim must be a “hate crime.” Here’s their big headline from Tuesday: “Black Americans 2.5X More Likely Than Whites to Be Killed By Police.”




TOP ARTICLES
2/5
READ MORE
Hong Kong Is Not Dead


It is fiction. It is sheer demagoguery, peddled as American cities are besieged by rioters in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police. The falsity of the claim is demonstrated even by statista.com itself. Just three days ago, the site posted another series of bar graphs, showing that, in fact, whites are nearly twice as likely as blacks to be shot to death by police. Here are the numbers:

Year White Black

2017 457 223

2018 399 209

NOW WATCH: 'Minneapolis Police Chief Apologizes To George Floyd's Family'


WATCH: 0:45
Minneapolis Police Chief Apologizes To George Floyd's Family
2019 370 235

2020 (so far) 42 31

The rest of the bar graphs break out the numbers of Hispanic decedents (slightly lower than black, significantly lower than white), as well as those whose heritage is described as “other” and unknown.

Right underneath its chart, statista.com writes, “Sadly, the trend of fatal police shootings in the United States seems only to be increasing.” In point of fact, it is steady — and if I wanted to play games like statista.com does, by, say, weighting the numbers to account for population growth while ignoring all other relevant factors, I could even pretend that the number was decreasing. The Washington Post acknowledges that fatal shootings by police have run steadily at around 1,000 per year since 2015 — 995 (2015), 963 (2016), 987 (2017), 998 (2018), and 1,004 (2019).

As Heather Mac Donald relates in an insightful Wall Street Journal op-ed, blacks make up only a quarter of the total number of people killed in police shootings annually, a ratio that has held steady since 2015. The reigning canard, however, is that this 25 percent figure proves racism since African Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population.

Ridiculous as this syllogism is (as we’ll see, it conveniently elides more consequential factors), it still puts the lie to the slanderous narrative that police are hunting down black men. Even if we ignore the fact that an increasing number of police officers — obviously including those involved in encounters with black suspects — are themselves African Americans, the percentage of black deaths from police shootings would be much higher if blacks were being targeted.

Police do not go looking for people to shoot. In shooting situations, police are confronting crime suspects, the majority of whom are armed. But given that George Floyd was unarmed, let’s consider unarmed people killed in such encounters. Such unarmed decedents, too, were twice as likely to be white as black in 2019 — i.e., 19 unarmed whites, nine unarmed blacks. As Ms. Mac Donald observes, this ratio is not stable (and there is some looseness in what the media define as “unarmed”): In 2015, it was 38 unarmed blacks to 32 unarmed whites.

The Floyd killing has been injected into the bien pensant narrative of innocent, unarmed black men murdered by cops. But the number of unarmed black men killed by police is vanishingly small. As Mac Donald notes, there were 7,407 black homicide victims in the United States in 2018, the last year for which final numbers are available. Assuming a comparable number in 2019, the nine unarmed men killed in police shootings would represent just 0.1 percent of black homicides.

In stark contrast, she asserts, “a police officer is 18½ times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male is to be killed by a police officer.”

The media, the bipartisan political class, the academy, and the commentariat concoct their “systemic,” “institutional,” “unconscious” racism fiction by statistical tunnel vision: We must conclude that African Americans — in particular, young black men — are being targeted by police because the percentage of killings of blacks significantly overrepresents the black population. It makes no sense, however, to look only at the percentage of blacks involved in police shootings, as if it were the only attribute that mattered — as if it were the only attribute by which blacks are overrepresented compared to their percentage of the overall population.

While African Americans are involved in two times more police shootings than their percentage of the population would seem to warrant, they commit 53 percent of murders and 60 percent of robberies — well over four times their percentage of the population. The political establishment would have you assume this statistical disparity is caused by institutional racism that myopically beams police attention onto black men. But we know the statistics accurately reflect reality because crimes get reported by victims — a large percentage of whom are black (also outstripping their share of the overall population).

If you just focus on interracial crime, though, Mac Donald (writing this time in the City Journal) has crunched those numbers. “Between 2012 and 2015, blacks committed 85.5 percent of all black-white interracial violent victimizations.” This, she qualifies, excludes interracial homicide. Powerline’s Paul Mirengoff fills in that blank: “Blacks commit around 70 percent of black-white interracial homicides.” For this, he draws on FBI crime statistics for 2016. They show that, of 776 black–white homicides, blacks committed 533 and whites 243. Neither of these numbers, by the way, nor their combined total, comes anywhere close to the number of blacks killed by blacks: a staggering 2,570 — the overwhelming majority male.

The most dangerous threat to the African-American community in America is not cops. It is liberals. The United States is not institutionally racist. The political system, the criminal-justice system, and academe overflow with political progressives. The notion that they would tolerate racism in their institutions would be laughable if sensible people were encouraged to think about it rather than mindlessly accept it. Nor could we conceivably be “unconsciously” racist. Let’s put aside that to discriminate is to choose, and that, where it exists, racial discrimination is a conscious state of mind. The reality is that our institutions of opinion are so obsessively racialist, no one in America has the luxury of being unconscious about racism.

The African-American community is not a monolith. Like other segments of the American population, it is diverse and dynamic. The policies pushed by progressives damage the parts of it that need the most help. And the false narrative of racist police, which pressures law enforcement to back off from the communities most victimized by crime, is now destroying entire cities.

[soonernvolved]

www.foxnews.com/us/americans-buying-guns-second-amendment

More than 2 million Americans became first-time gun owners this year, trade association says

During a record number of firearm sales in the first part of the year, more than 2 million Americans became first-time gun owners, a firearms trade association said Monday.


Firearms retailers estimated that 40 percent of their gun sales during the first four months of 2020 were to first-time buyers, according to a survey by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), an American national trade association for the firearms industry.

GUN SALES BREAK MAY RECORD AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, RIOTS

“The early part of 2020 has been unlike any other year for firearm purchases - particularly by first-time buyers - as new NSSF research reveals millions of people chose to purchase their first gun during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the association said.

Personal protection, followed by target shooting and hunting, was the main driver leading to “more than 2.5 million new gun owners in a very short period of time,” the NSSF said.

The data indicated that the most-purchased firearms among new buyers were semiautomatic handguns, nearly double the number of the second-most purchased firearm, shotguns.

CORONAVIRUS TRIGGERS MASSIVE SPIKE IN FIREARM AND AMMUNITION SALES

Women accounted for 40 percent, or 1 million, of first-time buyers, the NSSF said.


Despite coronavirus lockdowns forcing firearms retailers to close in some states, the association said year-over-year figures showed overall business jumped 80 percent in March and 69 percent in April.

Gun sales skyrocket during coronavirus pandemic
Gun sales skyrocket during coronavirus pandemic
As sales skyrocketed, background checks via the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) soared during this period to 6.5 million nationwide, an uptick of 48 percent versus last year.

Gun sales are continuing to spike in some areas following the recent unrest and violence sparked by the death of George Floyd, according to reports. Floyd, a black man, died in Minneapolis on May 25 while in police custody.

"We started out this week with a fair amount of merchandise,” Andy Chernoff, owner of Coliseum Gun Traders on Long Island, N.Y., told FOX5. “We're running out. Literally running out. Never thought I'd say that."

Meanwhile, Robert Savage of Jolly’s Pawn Shop in Greenville, N.C., told WITN-TV that the “panic-buy” rush during the pandemic has “picked right back up” amid the protests.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"A lot of them are just nervous, scared,” Savage said. “So, they're just trying to make sure they've got their family safe. And I can't blame them because that’s the same thing I’d do.”

[soonernvolved]

www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2020/06/04/unity-isnt-possible-with-those-who-dont-want-to-make-america-great/

RUSH: Never, ever are we gonna cave or give up here on this program. My attention been called to a tweet by Mollie Hemingway. You know we admire Mollie Hemingway a bunch on this program. She’s at Federalist, and she’s just brilliant, and here’s a tweet of hers. “Of ‘Trump’s not a uniter!’ talking point, a smart woman I know writes:

“‘Trump wasn’t elected to unify. He is clarifying the divisions. It’s painful but may be necessary. But we are definitely not in a unifying chapter of American history.'” Let me add a bingo to that, and I want to add to it, ’cause it’s exactly what I said. Trump, unify? That… Trump was not elected to unify anything. The people that elected Donald Trump are fed up with the Democrat Party!

They are fed up with the American left, and they are fed up with the policies of the Democrat Party that are injurious and harmful to vast majority of the American middle class. They’re tired of sanctuary cities. They’re tired of open borders. They’re tired of criminals getting away with it. They’ve done everything they can to try to heal racial divisions.

Nothing seems to matter. Nothing seems to work. I mean, all you needed to know is that Trump’s campaign slogan was “controversial.” Make America Great Again? How in the hell can that be controversial? Well, it is, and that’s all you really need to know about today’s Democrat Party. Making America great again? Those are fighting words — and guess what?

Even back in 2015 and 2016 when Trump came up with the slogan, guess what they said that it was? “Make America Great Again is racism! Yeeeah. ‘Make America Great Again’ is a bunch of white people wanting their power back. ‘Make America Great Again’ is simply, ‘Let’s go back to Ozzie and Harriet. Let’s go back to the fifties. Let’s go back to where we ran the show and nobody could stop us.'”

Nothing could be further from the truth. The people that elected Donald Trump to Make America Great Again want a truly great country for everybody in it — and the thing is, the leaders of the Democrat Party know this. The rank-and-file of the Democrat Party, the base voters, they may not know it. They have been so maleducated and ill-educated.

They believe all this racist crap that has been promulgated and propagandized to them their whole lives. But nothing could be further from the truth. You want a great country because that’s where great opportunity is found. Everybody doing well or trying to is how the country grows. How did we become a superpower?



Our DNA isn’t any different than anybody else. We’re the same human beings as any human beings anywhere on this planet, and just because we happen to be in the geographic area known as North America doesn’t mean we’re better than anybody else. How did it happen? It happened because of one word: Liberty. Freedom.

We’re the only country in the history of humanity whose founding documents enshrine the primacy of the citizen — the individual — over government. We’re the only country that has founding documents and governing documents which limit the role of government in people’s lives. And this is what they hate. The Democrats hate that. They despise that.

They consider the Constitution “a charter of negative liberties.” That’s actually a term; they debate it in their law schools. “Negative liberties” means things the government can’t do. They don’t like that. You and I and most term average, ordinary Americans want a great country because we want a great opportunity. We want everybody in this country to do well.

We don’t believe in systematic discrimination against people, and by virtue of that they’re only allowed to be X successful or so successful. That not how we think at all. So here comes Make America Great Again, and they’re fighting words. “Make America Great Again? Oh, we don’t have that! This guy, Trump… This is dangerous. He’s a novice. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

That was one of the greatest wake-up calls the people of this country could have ever, ever seen. Make America Great Again is what? Racist? Make America Great Again is somehow controversial? Make America Great Again is somehow poised to give us a dictatorship? What? We’re dealing with irrationality and — in some cases — insanity, and it’s impossible to deal with either of those characteristics.

So Donald Trump was not elected to unite anything. The hope is always there that people see the light. You know, Trump and power, a lot of people that Trump wants to be a dictator, and that’s why he wants all this power. People even misunderstand that. They don’t even understand Donald Trump’s desire for power and his relationship to it.

And there’s no persuading them that they’re wrong about it. Donald Trump, a dictator? This is the guy that’s deregulating more of Washington than any president ever has, maybe any combination of presidents. (Snort!) It’s just flat-out absurd on its face, all these allegations. But we’ve reached the point now where… Unify? No. This is about survival. This about winning!

This is about defeating the forces, the people who think Make America Great Again is controversial, who think Make America Great Again is a bad thing. And then throw into the mix now James Mattis, these defense department guys, and they’re now joining this chorus, trying to make Trump out to be a dictator because the Park Police cleared Lafayette Park 15 minutes before curfew.



And because of that, Mattis is saying that Trump violates the Constitution by clearing the park of peaceful protesters. I’ll tell you, folks, hell hath no fury like a deep-stater scorned. Threat to the Constitution? He even got close to comparing Trump to the Nazis, folks, when he starts talking about (impression), “I’ve faced these people in all my years a great military man.

“I’ve faced forces like this.” He implied Trump’s got Nazi-like, fascist-like tendencies — all because Trump did a walk to St. John’s Church and carried a Bible and then dared to have a photo taken. Mattis said, “When I joined the military some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution.

“Never did I dream that troops taking the same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the constitutional rights of their fellow citizens, much less to provide a bizarre photo-op for the elected commander-in-chief with military leadership standing alongside.” I’m sorry, I missed this. When did the park police and Secret Service become “the military”?

What am I missing?

He just had to drag the Nazis in there somehow. “Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that the Nazi slogan for destroying us was ‘divide and conquer.’ Our American answer is, ‘in union there is strength.'” So there you go. Trump is reminiscent of the Nazis because he’s not even trying to unite the country.

Mr. Mattis, General Mattis, you’ve seen what these people did to Trump. Hell, you may have been part of it for all we know. How in the world is he supposed to unify with that? How’s he supposed to unify with Comey? How’s he supposed to unify with Clapper, Brennan, McCabe, practically all of MI5 and MI6? How’s he supposed to do this?

They ran a coup against him, sir! It’s still ongoing. What do you mean, he’s not even trying to unify? I think you’re exactly wrong. I think Trump is trying to amass a massive army of supporters of the American people to continue to support him and reelect him so that this valiant, honorable objective of making America great again can resume.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: One more thing about this unifying or unity stuff. You know, Trump has given a couple of speeches recently that, if anything, were unifying. He gave a great speech Saturday after the launch from Cape Canaveral. Nobody saw it, by sad consequence. But it was maybe one of his best ever in terms of talking about American potential, American greatness. It was a fabulous speech. Anybody reasonable would have supported it and wanted to have been part of the country he was talking about.

And then couple nights ago in the Rose Garden, that speech, that little — when I saw the teleprompters out there, I said, okay, this is gonna be serious. It’s not gonna be a presser. Ain’t gonna be a Q&A. He gave a strong, articulate speech in the Rose Garden, and then in a total shock and awe move, he said, “If you’ll excuse me, I now have to walk over to a very important place.” He walks out the front door of the White House, down the driveway, crossed Pennsylvania Avenue into Lafayette Park, and straight to that church.

He had some members of the administration in tow, he had some family members there, and he had the secretary of defense Mark Esper. (imitating Esper) “I didn’t know, I didn’t know he was gonna make me do it, I didn’t know.” And then Mattis comes out, “How dare he, it was horrible.”



But it was a unifying act. It was a stunningly positive movement. That church had been torched the night before. Trump walked over there. The Secret Service doesn’t want the presidents every doing anything — It’s hard to protect. It’s very risky. Some might say it was a brave thing to do. It was a stunningly positive moment, and they could not let that stand, folks. James Mattises of the world and the Mark Espers and the deep-staters and the Drive-By Media could not let that moment stand. Trump holding the Bible in front of St. John’s Church having walked over there. Their heads exploded. Their heads were scrambled. They didn’t know what to do.

All they knew was they had to destroy that moment. They had to destroy that moment like they had to destroy any bit of news that might suggest we could reopen the country. Didn’t have to remain under lockdown. And they have been lying about that moment for three days now. That is how wonderful a moment it was. That is how powerful and positive a moment it was, that they had to get Mad Dog Mattis to put together a hastily written op-ed in The Atlantic and then the former secretary of the “Chief Joints of Staff” to do the same thing, they had to go out and all kinds of people reacting Trump’s a Nazi, he’s a dictator, ’cause they couldn’t let that powerful moment stand.

They had to destroy it. This is why I say as more and more evidence of Obamagate becomes more and more accessible to more and more people, they freak out and have to do whatever they can to relegate it to back-page status or below-the-fold status. They gotta replace it with some other story so the people won’t hear about it. And that’s what we’re up against each and every time Trump does something momentously positive or powerful.

[soonernvolved]

[soonernvolved]

www.cnn.com/2020/06/04/politics/michael-white-iran-released/index.html

[soonernvolved]

Look, another Democrat who is defending President Trump.

[soonernvolved]

www.dailywire.com/news/attorney-general-william-barr-we-have-evidence-that-antifa-has-been-involved-in-instigating-violence-during-riots

Attorney General William Barr: ‘We Have Evidence That Antifa’ Has Been ‘Involved In Instigating’ Violence During Riots

Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday that federal law enforcement officials have evidence that Antifa and other extremist groups have been involved in instigating and participating in acts of violence that have rocked the nation for days as riots have broken out following the death of George Floyd.

“While many have peacefully expressed their anger and grief, others have hijacked protests to engage in lawlessness — violent rioting and arson, looting of businesses and public property, assaults on law enforcement officers and innocent people, and even the murder of a federal agent,” Barr said at a news conference. “Such senseless acts of anarchy are not exercises of First Amendment rights; they are crimes designed to terrify fellow citizens and intimidate communities.”

As I told the governors on Monday, we understand the distinction among three different sets of actors. The large preponderance of those who are protesting are peaceful demonstrators who are exercising their First Amendment rights,” Barr continued. “At some demonstrations, there are groups that exploit the opportunity to engage in looting. And finally, at some demonstration, there are extremist agitators who are hijacking the protests to pursue their own separate and violent agenda.”

“We have evidence that Antifa and other similar extremist groups, as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions, have been involved in instigating and participating in the violent activity. We are also seeing foreign actors playing all sides to exacerbate the violence,” Barr continued. “The Justice Department is also working closely with our state and local partners to address violent riots around the country. Our federal law enforcement efforts are focused on the violent instigators.”

WATCH:



TRANSCRIPT OF PREPARED REMARKS:

Good afternoon.

Over the Constitution Avenue entrance to this building is a Latin inscription that translates as “Everything is created by Law and Order.” That ancient principle still holds true. Our free society depends on the rule of law — the assurance that ordinary citizens can go about their lives without being subject to arbitrary violence or fear. When the rule of law breaks down, the promise of America does too.

Our nation is now confronting two serious threats to the rule of law. The first is a long-standing one but was recently crystalized and driven home by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The video of police conduct in this episode is harrowing. When you watch it, and imagine that one of your own loved ones was being treated like that, and begging for their lives, it is impossible for any normal human being not to be struck in the heart with horror.

This matter is being pursued by both the state and the federal government. The state has filed second degree murder charges against one officer, and aiding and abetting charges against three other officers.

As we typically do in cases such as this, the Department of Justice is conducting a parallel and independent investigation into possible violations of federal civil rights laws.

The president has directed me to spare no effort. We are coordinating our work with that of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. As a matter of comity, the Department of Justice typically lets the state go forward with its proceedings first.

This afternoon, our United States Attorney in Minnesota and FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis Field Office will attend a memorial service for Mr. Floyd. Today is a day for mourning, and the day is coming soon when justice will be served.

George Floyd’s death was not the first of its kind, and it exposes concerns that reach far beyond this case.

While the vast majority of police officers do their job bravely and righteously, it is undeniable that many African Americans lack confidence in the American criminal justice system. That must change. Our Constitution mandates equal protection of the laws, and nothing less is acceptable. As the nation’s leading federal law-enforcement agency, the Department of Justice will do its part. I believe that police chiefs and law enforcement leaders around the country are committed to ensuring that racism plays no part in law enforcement, and that everyone receives equal protection of the laws.

In October 2019, the President established the first Commission on Law Enforcement since the 1960s. I am meeting later this month with the Commission and have been talking with law enforcement leaders around the country.

In the weeks and months ahead, we will be working with community leaders to find constructive solutions so that Mr. Floyd’s death will not have been in vain. We will work hard to help bring good out of bad.

Unfortunately, the aftermath of George Floyd’s death has produced a second challenge to the rule of law.

While many have peacefully expressed their anger and grief, others have hijacked protests to engage in lawlessness — violent rioting and arson, looting of businesses and public property, assaults on law enforcement officers and innocent people, and even the murder of a federal agent.

Such senseless acts of anarchy are not exercises of First Amendment rights; they are crimes designed to terrify fellow citizens and intimidate communities.

As I told the governors on Monday, we understand the distinction among three different sets of actors. The large preponderance of those who are protesting are peaceful demonstrators who are exercising their First Amendment rights.

At some demonstrations, there are groups that exploit the opportunity to engage in looting. And finally, at some demonstration, there are extremist agitators who are hijacking the protests to pursue their own separate and violent agenda.

We have evidence that Antifa and other similar extremist groups, as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions, have been involved in instigating and participating in the violent activity. We are also seeing foreign actors playing all sides to exacerbate the violence.

The Department of Justice is working to restore order in the District of Columbia and around the nation. Here in Washington, we are working around the clock with local police, the citizen soldiers of the National Guard, and other federal agencies to provide safety and justice. We have deployed all the major law-enforcement components of the department in this mission, including the FBI, ATF, DEA, Bureau of Prisons, and U.S. Marshals Service. I thank them and all those working bravely and professionally to protect the District.

The Justice Department is also working closely with our state and local partners to address violent riots around the country. Our federal law enforcement efforts are focused on the violent instigators.

Through the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, component field offices, and state and local law enforcement, we are receiving real-time intelligence, and we have deployed resources to quell outbreaks of violence in several places. I urge governors, mayors, and other state and local leaders to work closely with the National Guard and with us. The federal government has thus far made 51 arrests for federal crimes in connection with violent rioting. We will continue to investigate, make arrests, and prosecute where warranted.

When I was Attorney General in 1992, violent riots broke out in Los Angeles following the acquittal of the police officers accused of beating Rodney King. Ultimately, the department at my direction filed federal civil rights charges against the officers. As President Bush assured the Nation at that time, “The violence will end. Justice will be served. Hope will return.” The same is true today. The rule of law will prevail. Thank you.

[soonernvolved]

www.dailywire.com/news/trump-shares-letter-from-lawyer-john-dowd-unloading-on-james-mattis-over-mattis-attack-on-trump

Trump Shares Letter From Lawyer John Dowd Unloading On James Mattis Over Mattis’ Attack On Trump

President Donald Trump shared a letter on Thursday afternoon from famed attorney John M. Dowd attacking former Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who made a vicious attack on the president this week.

Mattis’ statement claimed that the numerous violent rioters represented only “small number of lawbreakers,” which does not square well with numerous videos that have emerged showing widespread looting, attacks on law enforcement, and the destruction of businesses in the nation’s inner cities. Mattis’ statement also appeared to claim that Trump’s desire to restore law and order was somehow an attempt to divide the American people.

Trump shared the letter from Dowd to Mattis late on Thursday, which stated:

Jim:

I slept on your statement and woke up appalled and upset. You lost me. Never dreamed you would let a bunch of hack politicians use your good name and reputation earned with the blood and guts of young Marines. You did what you said you would — engage in this discourse. Marines keep their word.

The phony protesters near Lafayette park were not peaceful and are not real. They are terrorists using idle hate filled students to burn and destroy. They were abusing and disrespecting the police when the police were preparing the area for the 1900 curfew. Jim, this is the new nihilism. See Dan Henniger in WSJ today. Marines support the police in harm’s way.

Did you forget that President Bush used active duty Marines to quell the riots in LA? President Trump has countless cities and some snowflake governors and mayors wetting themselves in the use of force to protect innocent lives and property. The AG of Massachusetts thinks burning property is good protest. Three more policeman were stabbed and shot in NYC last night.

Think about it. Should he be upset about the obvious failure of leadership? Where are you, Jim?

Marines go to the fight.

No one divided this country more than Obama. He abandoned our black brothers and sisters. He gave guns to cartels. He apologized for our precious sacrifice and generosity overseas. You remember, he fired you.

President Trump has done more to help our minority brothers and sisters in three years than anyone in the last fifty. Ask the black pastors. Ask the leaders of the black colleges and universities. He got them funded. Ask them about the prison reform which ended the draconian sentences imposed on young black men by the laws enacted by Biden and his hacks. You need to bone up on your homework and stop listening to Uncle Leon.

I understand, you had to stick to the assigned narrative which did not include three years of corrupt investigations and evidence to destroy this President, his office, and his lawful free election. Nancy has no tolerance for dissent in the ranks – including those with stars.

You said nothing of the ugly, hate filled, disgraceful comments of Pelosi, Schumer, Perez, and other Democrat hacks defaming the President and his office. You said nothing of the unlawful sanctuary cities and the unlawful release of hoodlums. You said nothing of the resistance movement to paralyze our courts and our government operations. You said nothing of the obstruction and subversion of our immigration laws. You said nothing of MS-13 killers and the drug cartels who own huge sections of our major cities. Jim, do you think that hateful rhetoric and those corrupt actions were inspiring and unifying? Do you think the DI’s at Parris Island would find such behavior as unifying?

Maybe, your problem, is a lot deeper. Perhaps you ought to explain how and why you (and John Allen) as CG Central Command, did not engage and take out Iranian Major General Soleimani who roamed the Middle East and wreaked havoc and death of our American boys with his infamous IEDs?

Why did it take President Trump to have the instincts and balls to take him out (of course over the objection of the geniuses in the Pentagon)?

Looks like the Persian mullahs were a one horse sleigh and Trump nailed the horse…forever. It has been quiet ever since. Perhaps, your anger is borne of embarrassment for your own failure as the leader of Central Command. Did you applaud when the President recognized the central problem in the Middle East? Did you applaud the President when he wanted to save American lives by bringing them home in one piece?

John M Dowd

Trump directly responded to Mattis in a tweet shortly after Mattis’ statement was published, writing: “Probably the only thing Barack Obama & I have in common is that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis, the world’s most overrated General. I asked for his letter of resignation, & felt great about it. His nickname was ‘Chaos,’ which I didn’t like, & changed to ‘Mad Dog.’”

His primary strength was not military, but rather personal public relations,” Trump continued. “I gave him a new life, things to do, and battles to win, but he seldom ‘brought home the bacon.’ I didn’t like his ‘leadership’ style or much else about him, and many others agree. Glad he is gone!”

[soonernvolved]

[soonernvolved]

dailycaller.com/2020/06/05/may-2020-jobs-report/

May Jobs Report: 2.5 Million Jobs Gained, Unemployment Falls To 13.3%

The U.S. economy gained 2.5 million jobs in May, while the unemployment declined to 13.3%, according to Department of Labor data released Friday.

Total non-farm payroll employment rose by 2.5 million in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, and the number of unemployed persons fell by 2.1 million to 21.0 million. The new numbers indicate that the economy is recovering from the coronavirus shutdowns at faster rates than economists predicted.


“The US economy is more resilient than expected,” chief strategist at Principal Global Investors Seema Shah told CNBC.

May’s unemployment rate declined by 1.4 percentage points to 13.3 percent from April’s 14.7%, which was the largest over-the-month increase and highest unemployment rate since at least 1948.

“Barring a second surge of Covid-19, the overall U.S. economy may have turned a corner, as evidenced by the surprise job gains today, even though it still remains to be seen exactly what the new normal will look like,” said Tony Bedikian, head of global markets at Citizens Bank, to CNBC.

U.S. President Donald Trump makes remarks during an event on protecting seniors with diabetes, in the Rose Garden at the White House on May 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 26: U.S. President Donald Trump makes remarks during an event on protecting seniors with diabetes, in the Rose Garden at the White House on May 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. The United States is closing in on 100,000 deaths in less than four months caused by the coronavirus. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Economists predicted to Politico that jobs numbers will show that almost one in five Americans were without a job during the month of May.


“The forthcoming May jobs report will amount to a shocking sequel to the April horror story,” said senior economic analyst for Bankrate Mark Hamrick, according to the publication. “It is likely to add further economic insult to the injury already established with the jobless rate. . . Millions more are expected to fall off of payrolls.”

Alfredo Ortiz, President and CEO of Job Creators Network (JCNF), told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement that “the time has come to ‘Flatten the Fear’ when it comes to COVID-19.” JCNF launched a campaign Friday amplifying physicians who warn of the negative health consequences of the extended lockdowns as well as the importance of returning to jobs.

“We don’t have any time to waste,” Ortiz said. “The purpose of our campaign is to reduce fear through education – basic facts about Covid-19 – and we are putting a microphone in front of doctors who know more about the disease than anyone else.”

“In the past three months, countless Americans have missed out on key preventative and routine treatments because hospitals have been largely closed to non-coronavirus patients,” the Job Creator’s Network president added. “The mental health effects of the lockdown have been equally devastating – measured by a 33% increase in anti-anxiety drug prescriptions, a 75% increase in hard liquor sales, and a 338% increase in calls to the national Disaster Distress Helpline.”


JCNF’s first phase of their campaign consists of a billboard that the organization placed in Times Square, at Broadway and 43rd Street, encouraging Americans to return to work.

Photo courtesy of Job Creator's Network.
Photo courtesy of Job Creators Network.

“We can isolate the few and protect the many instead of isolating the many to protect the few,” Ortiz said. “If we don’t, sadly we will have more victims of Covid who never have the virus.”

[soonernvolved]

And so, the Democrat's nightmare scenario begins.....

www.dailywire.com/news/unemployment-rate-shocks-wall-street-drops-to-13-3-biggest-one-month-job-gain-since-1939

Unemployment Rate Shocks Wall Street, Drops To 13.3% — Biggest One-Month Job Gain Since 1939

The U.S. unemployment rate shocked economists on Wall Street, dropping to 13.3% for the month of May.

Dow Jones experts had predicted the rate would soar to 19.5%, but the economists weren’t even close. The economy actually created more than 2.5 million jobs in May, the Labor Department reported. The May gain was by far the biggest one-month jobs gain in U.S. history since at least 1939.

Futures on the Dow soared more than 650 points on the good news.

The unemployment rate increased by more than 10% in April, hitting 14.7%. The March jobs report barely caught the initial surge in unemployment, measured then at just 4.4%.

But there was bad news on Thursday, with the Labor Department saying another 1.8 million Americans made first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week, pushing the number of people who have lost their jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic above 42 million.


Weekly jobless claims totaled 1.877 million; Dow Jones analysts had estimated a job loss of 1.775 million. Last week’s number was an improvement from the previous week’s jobless claims of 2.126 million.

Continuing claims, which show how many people remain unemployed and drawing benefits, totaled 21.5 million, a gain of 649,000 over the past week, also worse than Dow Jones analysts had expected.

As states have finally begun to reopen, the numbers are expected to continue to recede. The 1.8 million claims last week is the lowest total since the coronavirus crisis began. In fact, the numbers have dropped for eight weeks in a row since the week ending March 25, when first-time claims hit nearly 7 million.


But the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has offered a bleaker picture. The non-partisan government agency said in its May report that the lockdowns will hamper the U.S. economy through next year, inflicting long-term damage to business investment and the labor market.

The office forecast that the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) will plunge 38% in the second quarter of the year, which would be the worst drop on record. And by the end of 2020, the CBO said 26 million more Americans will be unemployed at the end of the year, more than triple the number of job losses that occurred during the 2008 financial crisis.

“The economy is expected to begin recovering during the second half of 2020 as concerns about the pandemic diminish and as state and local governments ease restrictions,” the CBO’s May report said in its report. “The labor market is projected to materially improve after the third quarter—hiring will rebound and furloughs will drop significantly as the degree of social distancing diminishes. To account for the chances of the pandemic persisting or reemerging, CBO projects that social distancing will continue, but to a declining degree. The persistence of social distancing will keep economic activity and labor market conditions suppressed for some time.”

[soonernvolved]

www.dailywire.com/news/trump-celebrates-stunning-jobs-report-with-democrat-taunts-media-reactions-half-kidding-congratulations-news-conference-announcement

Trump Celebrates Stunning Jobs Report With Democrat Taunts, Media Reactions, Half-‘Kidding’ Congratulations, News Conference Announcement

It’s been a brutal few months since the nation went on “lockdown” in response to alarming — and since repeatedly revised down — COVID-19 model predictions. President Trump, who reluctantly supported the extreme “social distancing” measures but has since been calling for their rapid roll back, has watched his historically good economy collapse and jobless claims skyrocket at an unprecedented rate. On Friday, the embattled president finally got some good news — news that has stunned the experts.

The unemployment rate for May, predicted by Dow Jones experts to rise to a devastating 19.5% from April’s 14.7%, instead dropped by more than 2 percent to 13.3%.

Despite the ongoing COVID-19/lockdown crisis, the U.S. economy managed to create more than 2.5 million jobs in May, according to the Labor Department’s Friday report. That gain, as The Daily Wire noted, is “by far the biggest one-month jobs gain in U.S. history since at least 1939.”

Unsurprisingly, Trump was though the roof about the Labor Department’s surprising report, posting first a half-joking self-congratulations then blasting out a series of reactions to the “amazing,” “incredible,” “stunning” jobs report before announcing a press conference and taunting his political rival.

“Really Big Jobs Report,” Trump tweeted in the first of the tweets Friday morning. “Great going President Trump (kidding but true)!”


“THESE NUMBERS ARE INCREDIBLE!” Trump added in a follow-up, citing Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. “I am so stunned. I’ve never seen numbers like this and I’ve been doing this for 30 years!” Trump added, citing Treasure Sec. Steve Mnuchin and Bartiromo. “This is an AMAZING JOBS REPORT!” the president added, attributing the reaction to Fox Business’s Edward Lawrence.

The president then enthusiastically announced that he will be “doing a News Conference at 10:00 A.M. on the Jobs Numbers!”

“Congratulations to wonderful Charles Payne on having been so optimistic, and therefore correct. Market up BIG!!!” Trump wrote in another post.


He then mocked the Democrats and presumptive nominee Joe Biden. “Oh no, the Dems are worried again. The only one that can kill this comeback is Sleepy Joe Biden!” wrote Trump.

Trump followed that up with more media reaction: “It’s a stupendous number. It’s joyous, let’s call it like it is. The Market was right. It’s stunning!” he wrote citing CNBC’s “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer, adding: “It is a stunner by any stretch of the imagination!”

Trump’s tweets below:

[soonernvolved]

www.breitbart.com/economy/2020/06/05/unemployment-and-jobs/

Unemployment Falls to 13.3% and Economy Adds 2.5 Million Jobs

The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent and payrolls unexpectedly rose by 2.5 million workers as the easing of restrictions on business activity and government aid led to new hiring in May.

The U.S. unemployment rate fell below last month’s record-high 14.7 percent, which was the highest on record in data going back to 1948. Economists estimate that the unemployment rate reached 25 percent during the Great Depression, although that predated the scientific economy-wide record keeping the government now deploys.




The job gains mark a sudden turnaround from a month earlier, when the economy shed a staggering 20.5 million jobs, by far the worst monthly decline on records back to 1939.

Economists had expected the unemployment rate to rise to nearly 20 percent and the economy to shed an additional 8 million jobs.

The mandatory closures of many businesses and stay-at-home orders slammed what had been a very healthy labor market hard. The economy added jobs for 113 straight weeks through February, a record streak of growth. The unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in February. And yet job creation was running very hot, with the economy adding an average of 211,000 new jobs each month.

The government has undertaken unprecedented efforts to support employment and provide aid to those who have lost their jobs. Around 150 million taxpayers received stimulus payments of up to $1200 for adults in their household plus additional amounts for children. The Treasury’s Paycheck Protection Program is backing $669 billion of loans to small businesses that can be forgiven if borrowers do not lay off workers. The federal government has been providing an additional $600 on top of state unemployment benefits, paying some Americans more than they earned on the job.

Recent data suggest the labor market has been stabilizing and is now improving. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits has declined every week since hitting a record high 6.8 million in March. Last week, this number fell to around 1.8 million. Over 40 million new claims have been made for unemployment since the wave but ongoing claims are just over 20 million, indicating many Americans have been rehired after losing jobs.

In May, employment in leisure and hospitality jumped by 1.2 million after falling by 7.5 million in April and 743,000 in March. Bars and restaurants hired an additional 1.4 million workers following a combined 6.1 million in job losses in April and March.

Construction employment jumped by 464,000 in May, gaining back almost half of April’s decline.

Dentist offices added 245,000 jobs. Health care employment overall rose by 312,00.

Retail shops added 368,000 jobs in May, after a loss of 2.3 million inApril. Over-the-month job gains occurred in clothing and clothing accessories stores were 95,000. Auto dealers added 85,000. General merchandise stores added 84,000.



Manufacturers added 225,000 jobs, about evenly split between the durable and nondurable goods components. Twenty-eight thousand of those were in auto making plants.

[soonernvolved]

www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-futures-surge-nearly-600-points-as-may-jobs-report-stuns-with-25-million-increase-in-payrolls-and-unemployment-falls-2020-06-05?mod=home-page

Dow surges 700 points at the open as May jobs report shows 'mind-blowing' 2.5 million increase in payrolls and unemployment falls
Published: June 5, 2020 at 9:34 a.m. ET

U.S. stock indexes surged higher on Friday, adding to already sharp gains in the morning after a report on employment in the U.S. showed an unexpected rise in jobs and the rate of unemployment fell rather than rose as had been feared. The report showed that 2.5 million jobs were added last month and the unemployment rate fell to 13.3% from 14.7% in April. Economists had predicted the official unemployment rate will climb to 19% in May, a MarketWatch survey showed. Friday's nonfarm-payroll also was expected to show that 7.25 million U.S. jobs were lost in May, after 20 million were lost in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The US unemployment rate has shocked everyone because the number was much lower than the market expectation," wrote Naeem Aslam, chief market strategist at AvaTrade, in a note after the report was released. "Speculators were whispering for 20%. This a mind-blowing number and shows that the economy is improving," he wrote. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 671 points, or 2.6%, at 26,975, those for the S&P 500 index SPX, +2.20% climbed 2% at 3,173, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed a more modest 0.8% at 9,688, as investors shifted out of technology-related names and into those that had been most battered by the global epidemic, like banks and energy. The move for equities on Friday comes after the Dow DJIA, +2.78% ended 11.93 points, or less than 0.1%, higher on Thursday at 26,281.82. The fourth straight gain matches a similar streak of wins for the blue-chip index ended April 27, according to FactSet data. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 SPX, +2.20% fell 10.52 points, or 0.3%, to close at 3,112.35 and the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +1.69% finished 67.10 points, or 0.7%, lower to wrap up the session at 9,615.81, putting the index about 2.1% from its Feb.

[soonernvolved]

She sums it up beautifully as to why Americans support President Trump and it is highly likely he will win re-election.

thefederalist.com/2020/06/05/end-trump-presidency-not-a-chance/

The End Of The Trump Presidency? Not A Chance
Never Trumpers are rejoicing that fresh on the heels of COVID, the current riots and unrest will spell the end of the Trump administration. Are they right?

Caroline D'AgatiBy Caroline D'Agati
JUNE 5, 2020

Earlier this week in the Washington Post, George Will declared that the current riots, COVID, and the collective economic fallout are the death knell of the Trump presidency. Will admits Trump is not the genesis of any of the aforementioned crises but blames him for making them worse. Will believes this can, and should, lead to Trump’s downfall.

Until a few months ago, the booming economy made Trump an all-but-unbeatable incumbent. But with the ongoing pandemic and the unrest of recent days, the nation may be swayed by low morale, economic devastation, and loss of confidence in the commander in chief.


Then again, the media continues its deceptive coverage of the riots and accuses all white people of racism—as though Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd’s murders are not repulsive to all Americans. These are the same failed leftist tactics that helped get Trump elected in 2016. If they keep it up, Trump’s defeat may become wishful thinking on the part of those who have never understood Trump’s people or his appeal.

The Left Still Doesn’t Get Trump or the American People
Like many Never Trump screeds, Will’s criticisms are cloaked around the Republican party. His real issue, however, is with Trump voters. He blames the party for nominating Trump and stocking Congress with “invertebrates whose unswerving abjectness has enabled his institutional vandalism…” But if pro-Trump Congressmen are “invertebrates,” what does that make the Americans who voted for them?

Admittedly, Donald Trump is not who I would have chosen for our nation’s highest office. But the fact remains our fellow Americans elected him. He reflects our current political experience. We cannot dismiss Trump and what he stands for without also dismissing the views of the millions of men and women who choose him to be president. Who in their right mind watches these riots and begs for a Biden presidency?

Even if Trump is “unraveling” as Never Trumpers are wont to claim, his supporters won’t disappear on November 4th. George Will and the leftists many Never Trumpers now ally themselves with must reconcile their perception of the American people with reality. Even if Trump loses in November, millions will still want the kind of policies and leadership that Donald Trump gave them. To ignore them is to invite further division and civil unrest.

No One Makes Americans Feel More Understood than Trump

Will’s rant calls to mind a trip I took to NYC with a friend a few months ago. On our drive home, the car stalled. We ended up taking an hour and a half ride in a tow truck to drag the car from Staten Island to Trenton, NJ.

As we got into the cab, our tow truck driver, a middle-aged man from Brooklyn, wasted only a few minutes before bringing up Trump with missionary zeal. He told us that he hated politics and hated politicians, but loved Donald Trump. Why? Because Trump is the only one speaking up for people like him. I can only imagine what he thinks of these protests rage through Manhattan and into his neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Here’s why the Never Trumpers can’t succeed: there’s nothing George Will, Joe Biden, or anyone else can say to this tow truck driver to make him feel more understood, validated, and empowered than Donald Trump does. Frankly, they don’t want this man’s support—but Donald Trump does.

After years of being berated as racist or ignorant, Donald Trump reassures everyday Americans that their views are valid and their way of life is worthwhile. He lets them fulfill the only dream most Americans have: to live their lives as they please without harassment or contempt from their government.

Can Anything Stop Donald Trump?

There’s another reality the Never Trumpers and the left can’t see: if you voted for Donald Trump in 2016, he’s delivered on almost every promise he’s made to you. No, there is no border wall that Mexico has paid for. Still, this is largely the fault of Congress and the judiciary. On issues like deregulation, economic growth, and the federal courts, Trump has exceeded the expectations of his voters.

Can the loyalty of Trump voters withstand racial tensions, cities on fire, stores looted, and people being beaten and killed in the streets? Yes. If the left keeps comparing gun owners to slave owners. If they advocate throwing white women out of airplanes; if they beat their neighbors with two-by-fours; if they murder a 77-year-old former police chief and broadcast it on Facebook Live. So long as the left keeps violating Americans’ sense of justice, voters will stick with the guy they trust to restore it.

They’re Not After Trump, They’re After You
Trump himself put it best in a tweet posted last year.

“In reality, they’re not after me, they’re after you. I’m just in the way.”

This is what causes the loyalty that Trump supporters have for their Commander-in-Chief. They recognize that the left’s attacks on Trump are actually attacks on them. Just like the left has attacked Trump for his SCOTUS picks, or pro-life stance, now they’re attacking him for “stoking racial tensions” and accuse him of using “aggressive tactics” to restore law and order.

Trump is nothing if not a public relations savant. Once the dust settles, if he cannot take credit for restoring order, he’ll do his best to deflect and lay the blame at someone else’s feet. He’ll remind his followers what the other side thinks of them, how they desecrated our American values, and what will happen to them if Joe Biden becomes the apologizer-in-chief.

After this national tragedy quiets down, there will be no shortage of voices telling the American people that they should be ashamed of themselves. I assure you, Joe Biden will be chief among them. Donald Trump will lose no support if he can keep doing what he’s always done for his loyal followers: make them feel proud to be American.

Caroline D'Agati is a writer, former park ranger, and New Jersey expatriate living in DC. She studied English at Georgetown and media studies at The New School. You can follow her on Twitter at @carodagati.

Also, his approval rating went up due to the unemployment news, etc.

www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_jun05

[soonernvolved]

thefederalist.com/2020/06/05/trumps-china-speech-marks-a-historic-departure-from-establishment-status-quo/

Trump’s China Speech Marks A Historic Departure From Establishment Status Quo
Trump confronted communist China, targeted its grand strategy, and put on notice its backers — for the betterment of America and other freedom-lovers.
By Ben Weingarten
JUNE 5, 2020

If America is to triumph in its generational struggle with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), history may look back on President Donald Trump’s May 29 speech as a turning point.

It was a short statement, but one of immense significance that ought not be wholly overshadowed by America’s present descent into lawlessness and chaos.


In it, the president spoke as none of his predecessors had, buttressed by acts none of them took, with respect to China. He directly confronted the CCP for its malevolence, targeted the core elements of its grand strategy, and put on notice arguably its greatest American benefactor. The president’s words, and related deeds, should not be taken for granted.

For more than 40 years, both Democrat and Republican administrations have advocated for integration and accommodation explicitly aimed at bolstering what has become our greatest foe. In so doing, they have twisted themselves into pretzels to avoid criticizing the CCP, rationalizing the irrational view that looking the other way at its hostility and totalitarianism would somehow cause it to act better. Trump put an end to all that.

In delivering his Rose Garden riposte to the CCP’s abrogation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration by way of its Hong Kong national security law, the president signaled that the administration’s “good cop-bad cop” routine — in which Trump sought to foster direct relations with Xi Jinping, while senior administration officials simultaneously challenged the CCP’s malevolence — might be over.

More importantly, he outlined the battle in which we are now finally engaged.

Confronting Communist China

Trump called out the CCP for its lying, cheating, stealing, repressing, and drawing of American blood.

As he stated early in the address, “The Chinese government has continually violated its promises to us and so many other nations” (Emphasis mine), meaning Xi and the ruling CCP.

In Trump’s words, China has “violated their commitments under the World Trade Organization,” “unlawfully claimed territory in the Pacific Ocean,” “stole[n] our intellectual property,” and “smother[ed] Hong Kong’s freedom.” Trump also noted the “danger of surveillance and punishment [posed] by the Chinese state security apparatus” there.

“The world is now suffering as a result of the malfeasance of the Chinese government,” he added. “China’s cover-up of the Wuhan virus allowed the disease to spread all over the world, instigating a global pandemic that has cost more than 100,000 American lives and over a million lives worldwide.”


In laying out these charges against the CCP, Trump signaled to Beijing that his administration is clear about the CCP’s nature and is willing to acknowledge it publicly.

Targeting the CCP’s Grand Strategy
But Trump’s recounting of these charges was perhaps of secondary importance to his practical response, which targeted the core elements of the CCP’s strategy.

In the speech, Trump enumerated five core policy measures, each one striking a different part of the CCP’s overall plan to achieve its hegemonic aims.

In pulling out of the World Health Organization, Trump was responding to China’s effort to infiltrate, control, and project power through international organizations.


In issuing a proclamation blocking Chinese nationals who pose a national security risk from attending U.S. institutions of higher education, Trump was responding to China’s broader civil-military fusion strategy. This strategy, aimed at achieving technological dominance and military superiority, involves using all means to obtain and develop technological crown jewels that can be used to grow the CCP’s power, including taking advantage of our openness and benevolence.

In directing the Presidential Working Group on Financial Markets “to study the differing practices of Chinese companies listed on the U.S. financial markets, with the goal of protecting American investors,” Trump was responding to China’s efforts to leverage capital markets to underwrite the economy that keeps the CCP afloat. Trump had taken direct action in this area just weeks prior, by directing that a federal retirement fund not be invested in Chinese companies that threaten America’s national interest.

In declaring that the administration would “begin the process of eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and special treatment,” Trump was responding to China’s efforts to use proxy territories as cutouts, given its heavy reliance on Hong Kong’s financial sector to conduct business.

In declaring an intent to “sanction [China] and Hong Kong officials directly or indirectly involved in eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy,” with actions both “strong” and “meaningful,” Trump was stating his administration would be directly pursuing malevolent actors in the CCP itself. That is, he was indicating that the ruling CCP, the ambitions of which are premised on executing this strategy, would be held personally liable for its malevolence.

Trump’s speech therefore exposed China’s strategy to achieve global dominance by controlling international organizations, financial markets, proxies, and technology — particular dual-use technology that gives it military strength. He targeted the leaders of that strategy directly.

Putting on Notice the CCP’s Greatest American Benefactor
China has exploited the relationship it built with America to influence the businesses as well as the cultural and academic institutions with which it interacts. Of all sectors, Wall Street has been most closely aligned with the CCP regime for years, in hopes of taking advantage of the massive Chinese market. It is a symbiotic relationship. Beijing has courted senior American financial executives to press U.S. presidential administrations for greater trade liberalization, while said executives’ banks have received massive underwriting and advisory fees relating to Chinese commerce.

By targeting capital markets we have permitted China to take advantage of, which bolstered the CCP, Trump has sent a signal to U.S. financial titans that the national interest must trump economic self-interest.

In the wake of the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, in which America’s response proved inconsequential and weak, it should not be lost on the American people how radically our policy toward China has shifted under the Trump administration, for the betterment of America and freedom-loving people around the world.

Ben Weingarten is a Federalist senior contributor, senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research, and fellow at the Claremont Institute. He was selected as a 2019 Robert Novak Journalism fellow of the Fund for American Studies, under which he is currently working on a book on U.S.-China policy. You can find his work at benweingarten.com, and follow him on Twitter @bhweingarten.

[soonernvolved]

[soonernvolved]

www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/05/donald-trump-celebrates-unexpected-jobs-jump-this-is-a-rocket-ship/

President Donald Trump on Friday celebrated a new jobs report showing better-than-expected economic numbers in the month of May.

“This is outstanding what happened today,” Trump said to reporters.

The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May from a record high of 14.7 percent in April and payrolls unexpectedly rose by 2.5 million workers. Economists estimated the unemployment rate would rise to nearly 20 percent in May and that the economy would shed an additional 8 million jobs.

The president held a triumphant press conference in the Rose Garden after the news was announced Friday morning.

“This is better than a ‘V,’ this is a rocket ship,” Trump said, referring to the economic curve.

The president said that the swift bounceback was a result of the economy already being strong, thanks to his economic policies.

“Our body was so powerful that we could actually close our country, save millions of lives, stop people very early on from China coming in,” he said, and added, “That strength helped us get through this pandemic.”

The news suggested that the downward trend for economic numbers after the coronavirus was at an end and starting to rebound rigorously, even with some major cities still on lockdown.

Trump criticized the “lockdown governors” in several Democrat-run states for keeping businesses closed.

“I don’t know why they continue to lockdown, because if you look at Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, if you look at so many different places that have opened up,” he said.

The president was ecstatic, speaking quickly off the cuff in glowing terms about the country’s recovery.

He warned Americans about Democrat policies, that would likely kill the economic comeback.

“The only thing that can stop us is bad policy, left-wing bad policy of raising taxes,” he said, warning that the proposed “Green New Deal” from Democrats would be a “disaster.”

[soonernvolved]

dailycaller.com/2020/06/05/donald-trump-ppp-reform-coronavirus-jobs/

Trump Signs PPP Reform Bill Making It Easier For Small Businesses To Spend Relief Funds

President Donald Trump signed a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) reform bill in the Rose Garden on Friday, allowing small businesses greater flexibility in how they choose to spend coronavirus relief funds.

Trump signed the bill following a White House press conference in which he highlighted positive May jobs numbers, saying an economic recovery was not expected this early. The economy added 2.5 million jobs last month, cutting the unemployment rate to 13.3 percent. The PPP reform bill passed through Congress with a Senate vote on Wednesday.


“It’s the greatest comeback in American history,” Trump said. (RELATED: Sen. Rubio Urges Trump Administration To Protect Worker Interests With Paycheck Protection Program)

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 17: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to members of the media during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol March 17, 2020 in Washington, DC. Sen. McConnell said the Senate will pass the House coronavirus funding package in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 17: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to members of the media during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol March 17, 2020 in Washington, DC. Sen. McConnell said the Senate will pass the House coronavirus funding package in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Original PPP legislation required businesses to put 75 percent of their relief funds toward payroll costs, but the new flexibility measure requires only 60 percent.

The new bill did not add any funds to the current $660 million in PPP relief, however. (RELATED: McConnell Pledges To Add Funding To Coronavirus Paycheck Fund On Thursday)

“I’m glad our Republican friends have relented and passed the bill here as we are about to close session for this week. It passed the House. We Democrats have been pushing to get it done for the last three days,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday, according to the Hill.


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not seem put off by the bill, however.

“Today we’re passing another piece of legislation that makes a few targeted changes to the program…I’m proud the Senate is sending it on to the president’s desk to become law,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

[soonernvolved]

www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-choice-for-voa-director-finally-confirmed-iranian-chinese-dissidents-praise-trump-celebrate

Trump’s Choice For VOA Director Finally Confirmed. Iranian, Chinese Dissidents Praise Trump, Celebrate.

On Friday, President Trump celebrated the Senate confirmation of his nominee for new director at the Voice of America (VOA), Michael Pack, and he was not the only one celebrating: Iranian and Chinese dissidents who oppose the tyrannical regimes of their countries also celebrated as they have felt the VOA has supported those same tyrannical regimes.

As Monica Showalter of the American Thinker noted as she documented just some of the dissidents who expressed their gratitude and praised President Trump, the extended battle over Pack’s confirmation was “sort of miracle, given the dirty, protracted battle from deep state’s Obama holdovers to keep him out. It was so underhanded it involved a last-ditch Kavanaugh-style bid to smear Pack as corrupt if for nothing else to delay his Senate confirmation to eternity. It was deep state at its worst and it failed. Now, what’s probably the last solid Obama bastion of deep-state government has toppled.”

Trump tweeted:

Dissidents celebrated:

In April, an events summary produced by the White House digital team fired criticism at Voice of America for spreading propaganda on behalf of Communist China. The statement read:

www.whitehouse.gov/articles/amid-a-pandemic-voice-of-america-spends-your-money-to-promote-foreign-propaganda/

VOA too often speaks for America’s adversaries—not its citizens. The Coronavirus pandemic is no exception. Secrecy from the Communist Party of China allowed the deadly virus to spread across the world. Journalists should report the facts, but VOA has instead amplified Beijing’s propaganda. This week, VOA called China’s Wuhan lockdown a successful “model” copied by much of the world—and then tweeted out video of the Communist government’s celebratory light show marking the quarantine’s alleged end.

Even worse, while much of the U.S. media takes its lead from China, VOA went one step further: It created graphics with Communist government statistics to compare China’s Coronavirus death toll to America’s. As intelligence experts point out, there is simply no way to verify the accuracy of China’s numbers.

The statement noted, “The Coronavirus story is just one example of this pattern. Last year, VOA helped highlight the Twitter feed of Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif while he was issuing threats against the U.S. and sharing Russian anti-U.S. propaganda videos.”

bbgwatch.com/bbgwatch/voa-iran-rt-tweet-circle/

The Heritage Foundation has said of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which supervises VOA:

www.heritage.org/global-politics/commentary/its-long-past-time-leadership-change-us-agency-global-media

The U.S. Agency for Global Media is the government’s primary public diplomacy tool and is funded to the tune of $685 million by U.S. taxpayers. It dwarfs any other expenditure by the government on international outreach, including educational and cultural exchanges, embassy outreach, and American centers at foreign universities. In the hands of left-leaning producers and directors, much of the broadcasting paid for by U.S. taxpayers resembles that of CNN more than anything else, both in its story selection and its anti-Trump bias.

A Stanford University report in 2018 from the Hoover Institution stated:

www.hoover.org/sites/default/files/research/docs/chineseinfluence_americaninterests_fullreport_web.pdf

VOA officials sought to scale back what were perceived to be sensitive reports. After running two years of a radio series on aspects of modern Chinese history, including the Cultural Revolution and other events post-1949, VOA cut the program in 2009 despite several of those shows garnering well over three million hits each on the web …

In 2012, a Chinese immigrant, who was also a former Chinese dissident and a specialist on the US political system, became the first female Chinese head of the service. She was later fired over a controversial interview that drew the official ire of the PRC, which threatened repercussions. Since her dismissal, VOA’s Mandarin service has resumed a pattern of avoiding stories that could be perceived to be too tough on China, according to several staffers.

[soonernvolved]

www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/06/loud_cheers_from_iran_and_china_dissidents_on_booting_of_obama_holdovers_at_voice_of_america.html

Stunning explosion of cheers from Iran and China dissidents over booting of Obama holdovers at Voice of America
By Monica Showalter
President Trump was happy as heck at the news that Michael Pack, his choice for new director at the Voice of America, finally got confirmed by the Senate. It came as a sort of miracle, given the dirty, protracted battle from deep state's Obama holdovers to keep him out. It was so underhanded it involved a last-ditch Kavanaugh-style bid to smear Pack as corrupt if for nothing else to delay his Senate confirmation to eternity. It was deep state at its worst and it failed. Now, what's probably the last solid Obama bastion of deep-state government has toppled.

Congratulations to Michael Pack! Nobody has any idea what a big victory this is for America. Why? Because he is going to be running the VOICE OF AMERICA (@voanews), and everything associated with it...

— Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) June 4, 2020


...Michael is Tough, Smart, and Loves our Country. This has been a big battle in Congress for 25 years. Thank you to our Great Republican Senate! @senatecloakroom

— Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) June 4, 2020


Here's how the left is taking it in case you need to know:

This is BAD NEWS. Pack is a Bannon right-winger, & may try to turn VOA into a MAGA-propaganda outlet, broadcasting around the world.

— Serenity Now! (@cpo10za) June 5, 2020


But if you want to know who's howlingly happy about this, maybe even happier than Trump, take a look at what the battered democratic freedom fighters in hellholes like China and Iran are saying about news of this U.S. government agency's change of leadership.

Thank You Mr President!

Voice of America [Farsi] has been the roaming field for Mullahs’ exported “journalists” for years. Many call it Voice of Mullahs!

VOA needs to represent America & POTUS’ policy of max pressure toward #1 sponsor of terrorism, paving the way for Free Iran. pic.twitter.com/NUm7MLv0uA

— Saeid Sajadi (@saeid_Emdi) June 4, 2020


Congratulations to you President Trump
Now the traitors in #VOA must be fired.They not only betrayed to Americans but they betrayed to #Restart_opposition the really opposition against the terrorist IRI ,the regime which is behind the #AntifaTerroristshttps://t.co/NIrwNzWk4d

— یاس پرپر (@yase_parpar1) June 5, 2020


Dear president,@voairan needs an absolute clean up. It is currently the VOICE OF MULLAHS#iraniansStandWithMAGA

— Kay-Khosro (@kay_khosro) June 4, 2020


VOA Persian is one of the corrupted ones. It is the voice of Mullahs. pic.twitter.com/tnyFr8G4p0

— روشنگر نسل سوخته (@roshangarnasl) June 5, 2020


As a Chinese immigrant, I hope @voanews @voachinese not to continue to be pro-Beijing, the CCP dictatorship is the biggest threat and enemy for any free nation. I see most many medias and social platforms are penetrated in deeply and distributing the CCP propagandas. That's bad. pic.twitter.com/6fwGfoYB9Z

— 末日獨裁 (@hvliao) June 5, 2020


Thank you, Mr. President
Hope to see fundamental changes in VOA Farsi or currently the voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran in America

— khabarbin (@khabarbin) June 5, 2020


We too
We have waited a very long time for this happen
They did the biggest treason to Iranians too .
They censored the largest populist movement of Iran against the brutal and terrorist regime of Iran.
They've always helped to IRI . t.co/4hNziByjJ9

— یاس پرپر (@yase_parpar1) June 5, 2020


This is great news.
All of #Iran's apologists/lobbyists should be shunned from pushing the mullahs' talking points in America. pic.twitter.com/c1DgEzrp36

— Heshmat Alavi (@heshmatalavi) June 5, 2020


VOA has been a propaganda tool of CCP, now VOA is the time to come back to Americans' hand to serve USA!

— Jane (@lingjia_USA) June 5, 2020


Fantastic! Start by firing Setareh Derakhshesh and everyone else out of VOA persian and hire people NOT working for the islamic republic!

— Kourosh (@kouroshpahlavi2) June 5, 2020


Thank GOD!
VOA has been trash for the last 3 years.

— REPEAL*EPA*CO2*Endangerment*Finding (@patmcljr) June 5, 2020


Thank you, Mr President! We will win the heart and soul of the peoples around the world! I began to listen to VOA at 15, and went to prison in communist China for spreading the words of freedom - VOA former China Branch director t.co/091nExFy24

— 龚小夏 Sasha Gong (@sasha_Gong) June 4, 2020
Who knew that was going on? Who knew the reaction would be this intense? I barely scratched the surface in these tweets compared to all that is out there. It's an absolute firehose of cheer from the people who have to listen to Voice of America's output, and conveyed just how bad the whole thing has been up till now. It's likely the sentiment on the ground. Dissidents, after all, need radio stations and look up to America. Imagine doing that and all you get is mullah propaganda? The bottom line, based on these tweets, is that something went very wrong at VOA. To have this many dissidents tweet this way is a huge unreported story.

That's a bad look for the U.S., whose state news agency is supposed to be a valuable policy tool for the administration, driving home what U.S. officials are trying to enact. Instead of mullah propaganda or Chicom spin, the VOA needs to be broadcasting news of sanctions on kleptocratic dictators, U.S military maneuvers, American triumphs of science, exposes of Swiss bank accounts of dictators, and indicators of dictator weakness, such as anti-mullah bread strikes in Iran. Instead of encouraging the world's dissidents, the VOA is broadcasting dictator propaganda like a demon-possessed ragdoll, succoring the tyrants, making them rub their hands together with glee at Big Gringo's stupidity.

That might be because most leftist VOA minions hate Trump and wish to undermine him abroad. It also might be, as the dissidents charge, because the agency is infiltrated by spies. We all know how well the Obama administration vetted its hires. It wouldn't be surprising if it were both. It's very likely that this problem extends well beyond China or Iran. At a minimum, it's reason to look closely and clean house.

Here's an arguably even bigger problem - look at the crap they're broadcasting about America itself to these hellholes. This is the news the mullahs and Chicoms are smiling to read:



▶️ Lt. Col. Sam Andrews, a Minnesota National Guard soldier, took a knee to address protesters outside the Capitol in St. Paul Monday.

He told protesters he was sorry for the loss of George Floyd. (AP)

👉 Nation in Turmoil: The George Floyd Protestshttps://t.co/6m9HfZwur2 pic.twitter.com/exUG5igXEj

— The Voice of America (@voanews) June 3, 2020


That's a disturbing story about the breakdown of U.S. military discipline - from a mid-level officer no less - that implicitly sends a very encouraging message to America's enemies.

Of all the protest stories out there, this is the one they choose to publish? This is the kind of stuff RT should be expected to broadcast, creating as it does uncertainty about American military loyalty and prowess.

What does this entire picture say about the decision-making at that particular agency? It's like President Obama never left. And sure enough, his minions hadn't, at least until this news, which should force a lot of bootings of Obama holdovers. They were supposed to go, and they refused to go, and up until now, they got away with it. They spiked stories exonerating President Trump on Ukraine, they broadcast mullah propaganda, and they published the party line from China on the coronavirus crisis, right there repeating the Chicom lies.

One can only hope that Pack will clean this Augean stable of leftism, brought on by hiring backwash from news agency layoffs, and this kind of anti-American propaganda will finally stop. The Voice of America is not an ordinary anti-American news outlet same as the others, but a policy tool for America's leadership to get America's message across. News of sanctions, warnings to dictators, projections of military strength, and anything that makes a dictator hellhole look weak or venal or thieving, anything that will undercut a dictator so that military force doesn't have to be used, has got to be on the agenda. It's not. The VOA as it is is like the United Nations, a landing pad for losers based on its high salaries, a seemingly useless vehicle that draws anti-Americans into its interior to exert leftist soft power to undercut America.

It's got to stop, and now there's a chance it will, with the welcome news of the arrival of Pack, who's got a heckuva cleanup job. One can only wish the agency well now that some serious leadership has been placed at that out-of-control agency. America's taxpayers can now finally get the agency they paid for.

President Trump was happy as heck at the news that Michael Pack, his choice for new director at the Voice of America, finally got confirmed by the Senate. It came as a sort of miracle, given the dirty, protracted battle from deep state's Obama holdovers to keep him out. It was so underhanded it involved a last-ditch Kavanaugh-style bid to smear Pack as corrupt if for nothing else to delay his Senate confirmation to eternity. It was deep state at its worst and it failed. Now, what's probably the last solid Obama bastion of deep-state government has toppled.

Here's how the left is taking it in case you need to know:

But if you want to know who's howlingly happy about this, maybe even happier than Trump, take a look at what the battered democratic freedom fighters in hellholes like China and Iran are saying about news of this U.S. government agency's change of leadership.

Who knew that was going on? Who knew the reaction would be this intense? I barely scratched the surface in these tweets compared to all that is out there. It's an absolute firehose of cheer from the people who have to listen to Voice of America's output, and conveyed just how bad the whole thing has been up till now. It's likely the sentiment on the ground. Dissidents, after all, need radio stations and look up to America. Imagine doing that and all you get is mullah propaganda? The bottom line, based on these tweets, is that something went very wrong at VOA. To have this many dissidents tweet this way is a huge unreported story.

That's a bad look for the U.S., whose state news agency is supposed to be a valuable policy tool for the administration, driving home what U.S. officials are trying to enact. Instead of mullah propaganda or Chicom spin, the VOA needs to be broadcasting news of sanctions on kleptocratic dictators, U.S military maneuvers, American triumphs of science, exposes of Swiss bank accounts of dictators, and indicators of dictator weakness, such as anti-mullah bread strikes in Iran. Instead of encouraging the world's dissidents, the VOA is broadcasting dictator propaganda like a demon-possessed ragdoll, succoring the tyrants, making them rub their hands together with glee at Big Gringo's stupidity.

That might be because most leftist VOA minions hate Trump and wish to undermine him abroad. It also might be, as the dissidents charge, because the agency is infiltrated by spies. We all know how well the Obama administration vetted its hires. It wouldn't be surprising if it were both. It's very likely that this problem extends well beyond China or Iran. At a minimum, it's reason to look closely and clean house.

Here's an arguably even bigger problem - look at the crap they're broadcasting about America itself to these hellholes. This is the news the mullahs and Chicoms are smiling to read:

That's a disturbing story about the breakdown of U.S. military discipline - from a mid-level officer no less - that implicitly sends a very encouraging message to America's enemies.

Of all the protest stories out there, this is the one they choose to publish? This is the kind of stuff RT should be expected to broadcast, creating as it does uncertainty about American military loyalty and prowess.

What does this entire picture say about the decision-making at that particular agency? It's like President Obama never left. And sure enough, his minions hadn't, at least until this news, which should force a lot of bootings of Obama holdovers. They were supposed to go, and they refused to go, and up until now, they got away with it. They spiked stories exonerating President Trump on Ukraine, they broadcast mullah propaganda, and they published the party line from China on the coronavirus crisis, right there repeating the Chicom lies.

One can only hope that Pack will clean this Augean stable of leftism, brought on by hiring backwash from news agency layoffs, and this kind of anti-American propaganda will finally stop. The Voice of America is not an ordinary anti-American news outlet same as the others, but a policy tool for America's leadership to get America's message across. News of sanctions, warnings to dictators, projections of military strength, and anything that makes a dictator hellhole look weak or venal or thieving, anything that will undercut a dictator so that military force doesn't have to be used, has got to be on the agenda. It's not. The VOA as it is is like the United Nations, a landing pad for losers based on its high salaries, a seemingly useless vehicle that draws anti-Americans into its interior to exert leftist soft power to undercut America.

It's got to stop, and now there's a chance it will, with the welcome news of the arrival of Pack, who's got a heckuva cleanup job. One can only wish the agency well now that some serious leadership has been placed at that out-of-control agency. America's taxpayers can now finally get the agency they paid for.

[soonernvolved]

This didn't go well for Paul Krugman lol:

www.breitbart.com/economy/2020/06/05/krugman-jobs-cooked/

Paul Krugman Says, Without Evidence, That Great May Jobs Numbers Might Be ‘Cooked’

Paul Krugman said Friday, without evidence, that is was possible the much better than expected jobs numbers might be “cooked.”

After an enormous backlash from fellow economists and market-watchers, Krugman partially back off the unsubstantiated claims and said he “starting to believe that the modest job gains may well have been real.”




The claim that the gains were modest is extraordinary in light of the fact that May saw the largest ever monthly gain in jobs.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy added 2.5 million jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent, upending expectations for around 9 million jobs lost and an unemployment rate of close to 20 percent.

While some forecasters expected the economy to begin adding jobs this summer, few saw a comeback of this scale in May.

Krugman, a columnist for the New York Times and one of the nation’s most prominent economists, immediately raised unfounded doubts about the BLS figures. Other Trump critics also joined in. They did not offer any evidence to substantiate their claims.

Prominent economists and others responded by pointing out that this was entirely unwarranted.

Jason Furman, an economist and professor at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government who chaired Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, said there was no chance the numbers were cooked.

CNBC’s Eamon Javers said on air that “high profile commenters, sort of a BLS truther crowd” had expressed skepticism but “there is no evidence there is anything wrong with this number here.”

When I asked Sean Spicer about President Trump saying the jobs reports were phony under Obama but taking credit for jobs reports once he got elected, Spicer said: “they may have been phony in the past, but they’re very real now.” t.co/anknmzEW9f

— Eamon Javers (@eamonjavers) June 5, 2020

Chris Arnade, author of the book Dignity, was driven to despair over the baseless claim by Krugman.

Krugman later backed off of the claim and apologized after the pushback.

[soonernvolved]

President Trump held a presser in the Rose Garden following the tremendous news.
The President signed legislation following his remarks giving businesses more time to spend coronavirus loans.

The nasty DC press decided that this was a good time to attack the president with ridiculous questions.
This was a new low for the corrupt media.

Following the display FBN host Stuart Varney went off!

Stuart Varney: Did you hear that? Did you hear that? The President is signing the PPA change of rules and the media is shouting hostile questions at him! What about the black unemployment rate?… That is really extraordinary behavior from America’s media